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Russell Armin “Russ” Vollertsen

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Russell Armin “Russ” Vollertsen

Birth	:	11 Jan 1924
Death	:	10 Feb 2016 The Woodlands, Montgomery County, Texas, USA
Burial	:	Rosewood Cemetery, Palmyra, Otoe County, USA
Coordinate	:	40.7125015, -96.3977966
Description	:	Captain Russell "Russ" Armin Vollertsen USN (retired), 92, of Slidell, Louisiana, passed away Wednesday February 10, 2016 in The Woodlands, Texas. He was born in a log cabin on the banks of the Missouri River on January 11, 1924, the son of Harry George and Verona Emelia (Schaeffer) Vollertsen. At the age of four, his father, a sharecropper, moved the family to the prairies of southeast Nebraska to escape the annual flooding on the Missouri River. Russ spoke only German, the language of his parents, until the age of six when he entered the first grade at District School 68,... Read More	Captain Russell "Russ" Armin Vollertsen USN (retired), 92, of Slidell, Louisiana, passed away Wednesday February 10, 2016 in The Woodlands, Texas. He was born in a log cabin on the banks of the Missouri River on January 11, 1924, the son of Harry George and Verona Emelia (Schaeffer) Vollertsen. At the age of four, his father, a sharecropper, moved the family to the prairies of southeast Nebraska to escape the annual flooding on the Missouri River. Russ spoke only German, the language of his parents, until the age of six when he entered the first grade at District School 68, a one-room country school near Palmyra, Nebraska. The other kids followed him around at recess to listen to the boy's strange language, not knowing the source of his "popularity". His teacher, Miss Anderson, who taught all eight grades, drew up a set of flash cards with all of the primary numbers and letters of the English alphabet, and taught him how to speak English. Quickly, Russ became the best student in his class, passing all his subjects with straight "A's" and winning all the county academic tests. In the summer he lifted sixty-pound hay bales; drove a tractor by the time he was seven; and in the winter hauled corncobs in the dark to the house for the stove to burn. After school, he milked and fed cows until well after dark. When he graduated as the valedictorian at Palmyra High School in the spring of 1941, he was confident he was not going to be a farmer. At that time, college scholarships were not offered in "full" and his partial scholarship to medical school at Creighton University was for half-tuition only. Not a prospect his parents could afford. Russ was attending business school in Lincoln and paying his way bussing tables at the old Cornhusker Hotel when the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor. It changed his life. Russ had never heard of Pearl Harbor, had never seen the ocean, yet sixty days later he was an able-bodied seaman aboard the repair tender USS Medusa docked in Pearl Harbor. Many of the recently destroyed ships were still on fire. His abilities were quickly noted, and without his knowledge his chief petty officer placed his name on a list to be tested for entering the US Naval Academy. Russ passed the fleet entrance exam, and began a slow, but steady climb through the ranks of the United States Navy, taking a great deal of pride in noting years later that one fellow classmate from Plains, Georgia graduated from the Naval Academy considerably lower in standing than did he in 1947. He always said that his thirty-three year stint in the Navy, serving in WWII, Korea, and Vietnam was the best job he ever had. He was executive officer of two front line destroyer escorts, captain of an LST, commanded a destroyer and repair tender, and was commodore of a destroyer division before retiring as a captain in 1975. Russ served three tours of duty in Vietnam where he was the originator of Operation Sea Dragon, the primary navy combat operation along the coast of South Vietnam. While serving his country he was the recipient many awards including the Meritorious Unit Commendation, the Distinguished Service Order (Vietnam), and the Bronze Star with a combat "V". He was the U.S. representative to the NATO Armaments Group in Paris, 1961-63, Chairman of the Communications Navigation Command, Brussels, Belgium, 1974-75 where his fluency in German served him well; member of the Naval Institute, Naval Academy Alumni Association, and the New Orleans Automatic Data Processing Council. Russ was a hunter, fisherman, and tent camper, and took his boys along with him. He built and repaired boats and outboard motors; crafted and repaired furniture; repaired his own cars from ring jobs and brakes to valve jobs; laid bricks, painted cars, planted vegetable gardens, made blueberry pancakes on Sunday for the family, and cut all of his boys' hair when he was home and had a little spare time. Russ is survived by: sons, Conrad (Pam), Vernon (Nancy), Bruce (Tonya), and Jon; and sister, Phyllis. He was preceded in death by: his parents; and his wife, Loys Marie Howell Vollertsen. Funeral Service on Tuesday, February 16, 2016 at Roper and Sons Chapel, Lincoln. Burial at the Rosewood Cemetery in Palmyra, Nebraska. Obituary information from Roper and Sons Funeral Home.

frequently asked questions (FAQ):

Where is Russell Armin “Russ” Vollertsen's memorial?
Russell Armin “Russ” Vollertsen's memorial is located at: Rosewood Cemetery, Palmyra, Otoe County, USA.
When did Russell Armin “Russ” Vollertsen death?
Russell Armin “Russ” Vollertsen death on 10 Feb 2016 in The Woodlands, Montgomery County, Texas, USA
Where are the coordinates of the Russell Armin “Russ” Vollertsen's memorial?
Latitude: 40.7125015
Longitude: -96.3977966

Family Members:

Parent

Harry G. Vollertsen

(1897 - 1984)

Verona E. Schaeffer Vollertsen

(1901 - 1996)

Spouse

Loys Marie Howell Vollertsen

(1924 - 2012)

Siblings

Norman O. Vollertsen

(1926 - 2015)

Flowers:

Nearby Cemetories:

1. Rosewood Cemetery
Palmyra, Otoe County, USA
Coordinate: 40.7125015, -96.3977966

2. Saint Leos Cemetery
Palmyra, Otoe County, USA
Coordinate: 40.7111015, -96.3996964

3. Pioneer Cemetery
Palmyra, Otoe County, USA
Coordinate: 40.6903000, -96.3685989

4. Bunten Cemetery
Otoe County, USA
Coordinate: 40.7557983, -96.4330978

5. Thompson Cemetery
Otoe County, USA
Coordinate: 40.7256012, -96.3311005

6. Klaus Family Cemetery
Palmyra, Otoe County, USA
Coordinate: 40.6680660, -96.4398380

7. Bergman Cemetery
Lancaster County, USA
Coordinate: 40.7625008, -96.4730988

8. Spahnle Cemetery
North Palmyra Township, Otoe County, USA
Coordinate: 40.7706700, -96.4635930

9. Bennet Cemetery
Bennet, Lancaster County, USA
Coordinate: 40.6889572, -96.5079193

10. Unadilla Cemetery
Unadilla, Otoe County, USA
Coordinate: 40.6974983, -96.2818985

11. Trinity Lutheran Cemetery
Walton, Lancaster County, USA
Coordinate: 40.7589900, -96.5029100

12. Mount Zion Cemetery
Otoe County, USA
Coordinate: 40.6250000, -96.4449997

13. Eagle Cemetery
Eagle, Cass County, USA
Coordinate: 40.8125000, -96.3871994

14. Wright Cemetery
Eagle, Cass County, USA
Coordinate: 40.8167000, -96.4067001

15. Pleasant Hill Cemetery
Otoe County, USA
Coordinate: 40.7694016, -96.2602997

16. Solon Cemetery
Otoe County, USA
Coordinate: 40.5917015, -96.4436035

17. Rosehill Cemetery
Douglas, Otoe County, USA
Coordinate: 40.5845940, -96.3867900

18. Saint Martins Cemetery
Douglas, Otoe County, USA
Coordinate: 40.5844002, -96.3861008

19. Hopewell Presbyterian Church Cemetery
Otoe County, USA
Coordinate: 40.6090150, -96.2930630

20. Schultz Cemetery
Lancaster County, USA
Coordinate: 40.7696991, -96.5603027

21. Brethren Cemetery
Alvo, Cass County, USA
Coordinate: 40.8561450, -96.3903280

22. Rolling Acres Complex Cemetery
Lincoln, Lancaster County, USA
Coordinate: 40.8101410, -96.5382790

23. Dughman Cemetery
Douglas, Otoe County, USA
Coordinate: 40.5705986, -96.3452988

24. Pleasant Hill Cemetery
Eagle, Cass County, USA
Coordinate: 40.8566980, -96.4460150